Just two days after his 15th birthday, BJ
Correll died from the “most curable”
childhood cancer in the world. BJ fought
pre-B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
(ALL) for 3 1/2 years, but ultimately lost his
battle March 6, 2016.

A freshman at North Lincoln High School in
Denver, NC, BJ loved
fishing and sports –
especially basketball
and football. This led
him to take advantage
of every possible
opportunity to be
outdoors. His positive
attitude and courageous
spirit were inspiring,
gaining him fans from
around the globe on his
Facebook page, Cure
For BJ Round 2.

In December 2015, U.S. Navy SEAL Team 8
named him an Honorary Navy SEAL because
of his character and spirit. He was a true
warrior in his fight against cancer, and he fought to shine the light of his faith
throughout his battle.

In the early weeks of 2016, and after nearly
three months in the hospital, they received
several outside referrals to a local integrative
medicine physician. A short time later, after
90 consecutive days inpatient and exhausting
all standard treatment options, BJ was
discharged home with a transfer of care to
Kid's Path (Hospice).

Within a week of being home, BJ was able to
see the integrative medicine physician. BJ's
body was ravaged from years of
chemotherapy, a cutting-edge clinical trial
and two rounds of a new immunotherapy
treatment, but his family still had hope. The
physician cautioned that BJ’s case was
severe, but said he thought he could help.
Ultimately, BJ developed an infection and
died within the week, just 15 days after being
discharged from the hospital.

Even after BJ's death, his mother Michelle, and sister
Carly felt there was purpose behind being
directed toward an integrative medicine path.
The more they read, the more they were
convinced that standard chemotherapy is not
the only option or the final answer for cancer treatment. They believed that at a minimum, there were adjunctive methods to help the body get through the harsh treatments.

BJ was also passionate and active in his push for
the National Cancer Institute to allocate more
than 4% of its
funding to
childhood cancer
research. Six
months after BJ
died, his mother
and sister founded
The Stand Firm
Warrior
Foundation. The
name embodies
BJ's warrior stance
against pediatric
cancer as well as
his strong faith in
God's plan, regardless of circumstance or
outcome.

BJ Correll - Honorary Navy SEAL

BJ was named an Honorary Navy SEAL on December 10, 2015. A group of former SEALs came to the hospital to present BJ with a framed certificate, bestowing the honor. From that moment on, they continued to be a part of his life. The SEALs were also present at his funeral, and each one pounded a Trident into the top of BJ's wooden casket.